The present invention relates generally to personalized toys and methods for marketing, manufacturing and delivering personalized toys. The toys may include virtually any type of toy, such as a doll, as described herein.
Using the present invention as a guide, patents were discovered disclosing what could be described as personalized toys, typically dolls. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,795,397, 5,141,466, 5,279,514, 5,387,107, 5,468,172, and 5,515,592, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, disclose various embodiments of dolls. However, these disclosures are limited, disclosing only attaching a photograph or other image to the toy, or recording audio information for audible playback by the toy.
The above incorporated references also are limited in that they disclose only toys that are intended to mimic the appearance or voice of an existing individual. There is no opportunity for creativity in the selection or manufacturing of the disclosed toys. Furthermore, there is no method for visualizing any changes in appearance of the toy prior to manufacturing the toy. Nor is there any need for such a method, given the intended true-to-life design of all of the toys disclosed in these incorporated references.
The present invention allows a user to create a personalized toy through interactive computer programs, receiving immediate feedback on changes made to the toy. It also includes steps for limiting the extent to which particular configurations of components may be selected by consumers, personalizing packaging for a personalized toy, optimizing the manufacturing of large quantifies of personalized toys, and delivering each personalized toy and any accompanying material to the intended recipient of the toy, accurately, reliably, and quickly.
Also using the present invention as a guide, examples of video and computer systems to visualize changed appearances of items are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,823,285, 4,297,724, 4,539,585, and 5,563,992, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, none of these disclosures teaches the present invention in which a personalized toy is assembled based on interactive selections made for configurations of at least some of the components of the toy.
Similarly, examples of product-containing boxes or packages in which the appearance of the package is modified by at least a portion of the content being visible through the package were found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,518,711, 5,379,886, 5,582,293, and 5,755,327, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Yet no known package is combined with a personalized toy and identifying material for the toy, as described in more detail below.
The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the following detailed description.